Legit Reviews Stocking Stuffer Guide for 2008

Show ‘Em You Actually Care with Gifts Under $100

The AMD Radeon HD4830 offers a perfect compromise between performance and price. Sitting at $125, or $100 after rebate, the HD4830 provides enough grunt to game satisfactorily at 1680×1050 with most modern titles. In some cases this little card can even hold its own at 1920×1200! Legit Reviews has the original review and follow-up here where the HD4830 pulls a modest lead over other cards in it’s price bracket. If you are looking for a budget video card this season, look no further!

The Logitech Harmony series of programmable universal remote controls is a proven line of products to effectively combine your entertainment center’s remotes into a single controller solution. The Logitech Harmony 670 is designed for use with DVRs, like TiVo, and has activity-based programming so you can press a single button and all of the proper devices in your entertainment center will turn on and go to the proper modes to watch a DVD, listen to the radio on your sound system, or whatever you need. If you can find a deal this holiday season to get the Harmony 670 for under $100, then you can’t go wrong. However, if your budget this year allows for more, I encourage you to research Logitech’s higher-end remotes for the interface and features, like advanced RF Learning, that fit your needs and wants the best.

Thermalright has become a standard in PC component cooling. Their Ultra 120 Extreme, affectionately nicknamed the “TRUE” by it’s owners, has stood the test of time by continuing to be one of the best heatsinks for every platform available. If you are looking for sheer performance or quiet yet efficient cooling, the TRUE is the heatsink for you. Priced around $50, the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme takes cooling to the next level with stellar stock-speed performance while handling heavily overclocked processors without breaking a sweat.

There are tons of Bluetooth peripherals out there, but we are going to recommend this one as the one to go with if you are buying for that special someone. Even though the Jawbone 2 with NoiseAssassin was probably the best Bluetooth headset we tested here at Legit, the Supertooth 3 is by far the one we recommend to those who don’t want to try and fit something on their head and want something that is simple to use. The no-hassle, no-fuss Supertooth 3 will definitely make for a great stocking stuffer!

One thing that is often overlooked in building a custom PC is the power supply. Clean power is an important component for a stable computer and shoddy power supplies can lead to instability and even component death. Corsair’s HX 520 provides incredibly stable power while achieving an 80% efficiency rating and pushing a rated 520 watts to power even the thirstiest of setups. Retailing for $95 after rebate, the HX 520 is the perfect power supply to center your next build around.

Logitech introduced this wheel early last year exclusively for the PS3. We have it on good authority (thanks Santa!) that the wheel works equally well for PC enthusiasts. There are some great driving games out for the PC – Codemaster’s Grid, EA’s Need for Speed, Image Space Incorporated’s rFactor, etc. Similar to flying simulators, if you want to master one of these driving simulators, the best thing for you to do is play with a control stick or a wheel. Developed in a partnership with Polyphony Digital, the Logitech Force GT driving wheel is a bit different from your standard PC or PS3 wheel in that Logitech added a number of features to come closer to true in-car realism. Besides the paddle and sequential shifters, Logitech included a real-time adjustment of both brake bias and traction control when playing Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Besides being the official wheel of Gran Turismo, it is a strong addition to those who want to wax the competition on any race track.